Which do you prefer, the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare? Obviously the Affordable Care Act because it’s affordable, right? And clearly not Obamacare because anything with the former president’s name attached to it is an automatic “absolutely not,” correct?
Trick question — if you picked either option, you’re part of the reason why I’m concerned for the well-being of this country. The ACA and Obamacare are related in the same way Tiger Stadium and Death Valley are — Obamacare and Death Valley both serve as nicknames.
The ACA has many benefits, one of the best being health care for millions of uninsured Americans. Millions more people can now receive the minimum essential health care, protection from insurance companies and free preventive services, among other aids. Another great aspect of this law which directly benefits many college students is the opportunity to remain on our parents’ insurance plan until we are 26 years old.
That is Obamacare.
For many people, it may seem like a “Duh, they’re the same”. I once felt it was obvious too — however, after many conversations and encounters with Facebook debates, I’ve realized some people are honestly confused.
A few weeks ago, I saw something quite alarming on Facebook — a Republican shared a C-SPAN post that stated the Senate voted 51-48 to repeal Obamacare and he made his excitement about it rather clear. Another person commented and said it was selfish of him to be against the ACA when so many people are in need of its assistance. His rebuttal was that he was referring to Obamacare and his insurance is through ACA. He claimed he would never oppose that.
I was baffled. The most disturbing part was realizing there are more people that share his same belief. I didn’t know it was possible to hate something so much and have no idea what it is you’re hating.
Last month, Jimmy Kimmel Live published a follow-up experiment to the one they conducted in 2013, on people’s reactions when asked “Do you support Obamacare or the ACA?” The Kimmel crew took to the streets to interview “everyday” citizens. The results were similar — people actually made a choice and defended it. Some saying they favored the ACA because they don’t liked then President Barack Obama — they were stunned upon learning the ACA and Obamacare are one in the same.
The experiment was comical, yet still extremely disturbing.
According to The Washington Post, the ACA covers an estimated 20 million Americans.. In essence, there are people risking basic health care to millions of citizens, including themselves, based off of falsehoods.
Obamacare was a term coined by critics of Obama’s health care reform. House Democrats argued that the GOP should be banned from using the term Obamacare while on the floor.
Obama began using the term as an attempt to attach a positive meaning. “You know what? They’re right. I do care,” he told his supporters at a campaign event in 2012. Maybe the former president and his fellow Democrats should’ve taken a different approach by not adopting the term. They should’ve stepped in front of the problem and prevented it before it hit mainstream.
Right-wingers aren’t opposed to Obamacare because they believe it’ll be the death of America. They don’t like it because they didn’t want to see Obama succeed. How can you hate something so much that helps so many people? You can’t. They hate the man behind the reform.
So, where do we go from here? Many voters didn’t do their research and inform themselves through their own personal instinct. The GOP plans to replace the ACA by giving states power over Medicaid. Citizens who live in states like Louisiana, where education and health care have always been on the chopping block when it comes to the state budget, need to begin worrying about the security of their health care.
What is wrong with tens of millions of people now having health insurance? When did that become a bad thing? There is nothing wrong with an act that cares and is affordable. So, now we’re in a situation that could’ve possibly been avoided if people would’ve done actual research.
Clarke Perkins is a 21-year-old political science junior from New Orleans, Louisiana.
